Digital: Guardian Hacker Files
by PsycoDragonKiller
Summary: Daniel "Phantom" Young: Gamer, soldier and hacker. He's been through it all, and knows what is necessary to complete the mission. For over ten years he's served on all lines of war, and it was determined he'd be given a much needed rest. Now the world needs his talents once more. The god of all hackers will rise once more, and it is true what they say. Information is power.
1. Prologue: Dossier

**Name:**

DigiXX, aka Daniel "Phantom" Young.

**Age:**

27

**Date of Birth:**

Mat 26, 2073

**Location of Birth:**

Unknown

**Species:**

Unicorn: Black with neon green mane, cutie marks is ball of neon green code, lines of glowing code show outline of his skeleton and changes color based on health of body part(s).

**Family:**

Mother: Diana Young (DECEASED).

Father: Joseph Young (DECEASED).

**Affiliation(s):**

United States Military: Marine Corps.

Mercenary: Ghost.

Equestrian Royal Military: Spec/Black Ops.

**Abilities:**

Digimancy/Digistruction/Digital Construction: Uses code to create 3D solid constructs, limits currently unknown, specially designed combat suit enhances abilities and provides total access to any tech around him.

**Skills:**

Physical strength: Standard

Magic Strength: Master

Speed: Master

Stealth: Master

Medicine: Standard

Hacking/designing: Master

Building/repairing: Master

**Personality/habits:**

Kind, but can get angry. Once angry he can and will get very brutal. At times can be very hyper. Enjoys playing cards, video games and listening to music.

**Bio:**

Daniel was a member of the conversion project. An old and forgotten part of Equestrian history that took place when technology was a major part of pony life. Daniel's parents died in a car crash after his father fell asleep at the wheel. He was ten years old when that happened. He was put up for adoption a week later and led a happy life with the Andersons. At the age of 17 he joined the US Marines. He served for five years before being discharged after losing his arm when an IED detonated too close to the HUMVEE his squad was using. He and his squad leader were the only survivors. One year after that he visited a doctor to obtain a prosthetic limb. Once he was deemed ready for combat, he decided to leave the marines. He later joined a mercenary group called Ghost and fell off the radar from that point forward. Rumors of his possible involvement in Operation Steel Coast, the NET War, and the War of Extermination have still not been proven to be completely false.

_**\- (LINE BREAK) -**_

I put down the file and passed it to the pony across from me. He opened the file and read through it, frowning most likely in thought of what he was reading. He placed the file back down and looked up at me.

"Bring him in."


	2. CH1: A New Life, and a New Deal

**HELLO READERS!**

**Just wanted to add the disclaimer before you read!**

**I do not own MLP, nor do I own Defiance or TES series (both of which I reference in this story)**

**Also, I'd love it if you left some constructive feedback for me, its always appreciated!**

**Now I'll shut up an let you get to reading.**

_Is he awake yet?_

_No sir._

_Then wake him up damn it! Captain Armor needs him awake!_

_On it sir._

_I hope the captain knows what he's doing..._

_**\- (LINE BREAK) -**_

I felt a harsh impact in my side. It was most likely a hoof from the feel of it. That was not a welcome wake up call, I can tell you that much. I shakily drew in a breath, since I hadn't used my lungs in a while, and opened my eyes slowly.

A bright light filled my vision, blinding me momentarily. That was another unwelcome thing. When my vision cleared I saw that I was laying on a metal table in the middle of a small metal room. I scanned the room with my eyes, the scanner built into them needing to reboot along with all the other functions. I was confused when I saw that no one was in the room besides me, when I clearly felt someone hit me. I need to pull up my HUD and check what's happening. I did so and tried to pull up my data logs, but they were taking their sweet fucking time to reboot as well.

Seeing as nothing wanted to work, I went back to looking at the room. Hanging above me was a large light with what appeared to be medical instruments hanging from it. There were drills, small automated saws, and needles. I didn't feel like staring at something like that so I looked behind me.

Standing tall and proud attached to the wall was the stasis pod that I remember being placed in. Some of the fluids from it were spilled on the metal flooring around it. It didn't look to be broken open, so that gave me a bit of hope that the one who got me out was rather friendly. I skimmed over the complex series of wires and pipes connecting to it and focused on the desk that was about ten and three fifths feet from the pod and approximately four and a half feet from me.

On the desk sat a piece of paper, its surface covered in writing. I was interested in what the paper had written on it, so I tried to get up and have a look. My muscles were weak though and I fell over onto my side, effects of being stuck in stasis too long it seemed. I eventually got my muscles to work, and climbed off of the table. With wobbling steps I managed to make it to the desk. I looked down at the note and read it out loud.

"Congrats on getting up. You will need to get a feel for your legs again, so I suggest doing a few laps of the room. When you feel ready, leave the room and follow the path marked for you. I wish to speak with you in person..."

Weird, but I guess the guy had his reasons. I decided to do as the note suggested, walking around the room and getting a feel for my body once again. Damn, I was very stiff and sore. When I get out of here I need to find a good masseuse.

I walked over to the door and saw that it was locked. It must be a test. I saw another note which was attached to the door this time and read it.

"You need to remember how to work with and possibly hack machines without the use of your magic or that suit. Try figuring out the code and if that doesn't work try messing with the wires."

I was right.

I moved to the keypad and saw a third note.

"To open this door, remember the past. What is another word for the military slang term jarhead?"

...

I felt my left eye twitch as I input the code: marine. These people knew my full background, and it seemed they also liked to tease me.

My Desert Eagle is not amused...

The door opened and I walked out. I was in a long hallway, multiple doors lined up along the walls. The note said to follow the marked path, but I didn't see a mark, only an object dangling from the ceiling down the hall to my left. I walked over to it and saw that it was yet another note, and it was dangling from the ceiling this time. I began to wonder where else this guy would put his notes as I took it down and read it.

"You need to access your optical enhancements. Follow the directions as follows without using this note. It will begin to burn after you finish reading it." I activated the recording function, it finally began to work, and read on. "Follow the path for twenty feet straight, then hang a left. Follow that path for five feet then hang another left. This path must be followed for six feet before you take a right. Go up the stairs and take a right. Go seventeen feet in that direction then hang a left. There you will find an elevator. The code is 227890563."

The paper spontaneously combusted, scorching my hoof. I dropped the paper with a loud curse and waved my burnt hoof in the air, trying to cool it off. When the pain had died down I focused on my data recorder. The recent notes were compiled, analyzed, and converted into a series of mini objectives. I placed the group as my main mission sequence and followed the directions to the letter.

_**\- (LINE BREAK) -**_

I got in the elevator and say down to rest. All my energy was drained from that simple walk. I checked the floors list on the elevator, and found a grand total of fifty floors. If I remember correctly, I'm underground and at the bottom floor. Going on this assumption I press the top floor, or G. The elevator jumped to life and started rising, albeit slowly. I decided now would be a perfect time for a nap, and laid down on my side to go to sleep.

_**\- (LINE BREAK) -**_

"Get up marine, we need to talk."

OK then that is definitely an unexpected wake up call. I swear I wiped my files of all info on my human past, so no one should know I was human much less a marine. Hell, no one should even know my name for fuck's sake! I must have missed one of the backups. Damn it, I need to wipe those files as soon as possible before more sensitive info is leaked. But first, I need to see who just woke me up.

"I'm up," I groaned as is lifted myself up off the floor and regarded the one who woke me up with an annoyed expression. The pony standing before me just smiled. He was white with a blue mane and tail. His cutie mark was a navy blue shield with a pink sparkle or star I'm the center, couldn't tell which one. Above the shield were three baby blue stars arranged in an arrow pattern.

"May I ask why you woke me up? I was having a wonderful dream about cheese just a moment ago." It wasn't a lie. I was really dreaming about cheese. I really would love a piece of cheese right about now... Right, back on topic.

"I'm sorry to have woken you up from such a pleasant dream, but what I have to say is far more important than a dream about fungi." The pony said. "My name is Shining Armor, and I'm the captain of the royal guard. I brought you out of, oh what was it, cryo? Cryogenic containment I think is what it was called. Anyway I brought you out because we need your help."

"Oh, is that so?" I asked, "and what would you be needing my help for, Mr. Armor?" The white pony didn't say anything, just motioned for me to follow him. I did, albeit reluctantly. I've served in Equestria's military for a long time, and didn't remember there being anyone with Shining or Armor in their names. I hope for his sake he's not lying. We walked through a bunch of metal hallways, all full of memories both good and bad. Shining Armor mentioned that I needed to get my suit, and I told him I didn't know where it was stored. He said he'd take me there.

"The suit is located in a special containment system just up ahead in room A297. Get suited up and be ready to leave in less than ten minutes." He said. I scoffed at him. I wouldn't take even three minutes for me to suit up. We entered the room he'd pointed out. Inside a bunch of rusted weapons lined the walls ranging from high power snipers to small knives. They looked to be falling apart, even though they should have been able to last for several hundred years. That simple fact put me on edge. How long was I in there? Thinking back to the little hallway navigation exercise, the place looked to have been abandoned for some time.

"So how long was I in stasis: a hundred years, two hundred?" I asked as we walked to the back of the room. A tall glass pod sat against the wall, a black pony shaped skin tight suit hung from metal clamps with another similar looking set but with more padding. The skin tight suit, or under suit, functioned as insulation whereas the padded suit was added as a solution to the comfort issue. The outer part of the armor chafed a lot without it. Next to the suit were pieces of metal being held in the same types of clamps that held the under suit and secondary padding. The suit looked less enhanced than I remember, but I just assumed the enhancements were removed and placed in another container.

"Try a hundred thousand." Shining Armor said grimly. I froze and turned to him slowly, disbelief written all over my face. One hundred thousand years was way more than I thought. He noticed my look and nodded to the weapons, no words needing to be said. This didn't seem possible though. Stasis isn't meant to last that long, at least not yet. We didn't get the chance to test out the new preservation formula yet. There is no possible way that what Shining Armor said was true. "I'm sorry if this comes as too much of a shock, but it's true."

"Damn," I whispered in a combination of shock and horror. "I missed it. I missed his birth, and now I missed his funeral..." Shining Armor asked who I was referring to, and I told him that my best friend from Ghost had gotten married the day before I learned I was to be placed in cryo. "We knew the chances of me being able to be there at the birth were slim. He wanted me to be there for the baptism as well. I was going to be named the godfather, but I guess I'm never going to get to experience that. And now the child is most definitely dead, so I'll never even get to meet it."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Armor said as he walked over to the suit container. I gently pushed him out of the way and walked over to the controls next to the container. This container was used to help soldiers get into their suits and armor faster. I put in my personal code and entered the container. I'd done this so many times that I lost any sense of awe that I had about the system. Metal arms moved around my body, slipping on my under suit and second layer padding with ease. Then came the armor plating. Those same arms carried the metal plating to me and began placing them where they went, small magnetic plates ensured they stayed on tightly along with the shock absorption systems added around the joints, spine and neck. Black metal plating covered my body when the machine was done.

My helmet had a piece to go over my horn, thankfully. It had a comm. system hooked up where my ears are located as well, though from what I've heard I may not have anyone to contact with it. The domes of the comm. system had little indents near the center, and a single metal antenna came out the upper back of each one, making it seem like they were long pointy ears. The rest of the helmet had a sleek look to it, almost seeming like it was one single piece. The rest of the armor was made up of interlocking pieces of metal plating, all of which was varying in size. Down the middle of my chest and my spine was a slightly larger piece of metal with three glowing green lights placed evenly apart horizontally.

(The armor is meant to be an all-black version the Ark Hunter Infiltrator armor you would have got from preordering the game Defiance with the lights being green instead of yellow)

"Wow," Shining Armor whispered. "I've never seen something as technologically advanced as that!" His expression was hilarious! I couldn't contain myself, and let out a booming laugh. If this was as advanced as he said, then that means my abilities will shock them greatly. I wondered briefly how the citizen would react to an M-17 Abrams rolling down the street in a full armory load out.

"I think it's time to go, Mr. Armor. We don't want to be late do we?" I asked in amusement as I left the room. Shining Armor paused for a moment, then bolted after me, leading me down the halls and out into the wonderful sunlight. Outside was a bright white chariot with golden designs. It looked so gaudy and overly decorated, but it must be that way to show the wealth of the individual who owned it. I voiced my opinion to Shining Armor, and he said that the princess always did enjoy decorating and flashy things.

"Now hop on in marine, we have a job to do." Shining Armor said as he climbed on into the carriage. I followed him in, sitting across from him as the chariot's doors closed. "You might want to hold onto something, the ride can get a bit bumpy."

We rose up into the air, and flew off in a random direction that I didn't care about at the moment. I decided to instead focus on the pony sitting across from me. He seemed odd to me. He says he's a captain, but I don't see any mark of his rank on him. And if he really was, then why didn't he have an escort? The way he carried himself didn't match that of a captain either. He better not be lying to me.

I'd hate to have to introduce him to .45 ACP after all, it just seemed like such a waste.

_**\- (Ten Hours Later: Canterlot Castle) -**_

We'd arrived a few seconds ago, a small crowd forming as we disembarked from our flashy form of transportation. Looking back on it, it seemed like a bad idea since an enemy could easily make out the shiny carriage from a mile away. The crowd formed a path to a large wooden door marked with just as much gold and color as our chariot. As we drew nearer to the doors they opened up on their own which shocked me since I knew from Shining Armor that technology was way behind compared to how things were a long time ago. I asked about this and he said that the doors used magic to sense ponies and open up for them.

Now this bit of info was pretty interesting to me. I remember when I was still running around fighting wars we used automated doors, but they used machines instead of magic. I can't wait to see what other amazing magical feats these ponies have achieved in such a long time.

Shining Armor directed me through the overly decorated halls, and it seemed like he took the long way. He probably wanted me to see the art and allow me to get a feel for the castle. Or he was just trying to make me hopelessly lost, in which case he is a total bitch.

We stopped outside of what I assumed to be a throne room. I could just tell by the designs on the doors, and the fact that the guards seemed to straighten and act more serious when they walked by. I wonder if the ruler knew she'd hired. Bunch of lazy idiots to guard her. My guess is she already knows, and just doesn't care. That would mean this princess either knew how to fight, or had a great automated defense system inside.

"Now listen to me marine," Shining Armor said as he turned to me. "We're about to enter the throne room, and inside is Princess Celestia. I want to make it clear that you need to show her respect, or things might end badly for you."

"Yeah, yeah I get it." I replied dismissively. I pushed past him and entered the room.

Now let me remind you that the castle is insanely decorative, and I doubt I could find something to compare it to, but holy shit this takes the motherfucking cake.

Large chandeliers with what seemed to be perfect, multicolored gems hung from what appeared to be marble ceiling. Bits of gold were obviously worked into the stone, giving it an almost blinding quality. The windows were positioned just right so the sun could get through, casting enough light on the room to make it even more blinding.

Leading up to the actual throne was a long, silk carpet with golden tassels on the edges. It looked like running on it would make it slip and move around on the perfectly smooth floor. Lining the carpet were a series of pillars, behind which guards and possibly auto turrets could hide.

Looking closely at all these details, leads me to believe that this princess is a genius! The layout is perfect for defenses of many kinds yet the design made it seem like she was just another pompous royal bitch. I just might enjoy meeting this Princess Celestia.

"Ah, it is good to see you Captain Shining Armor. It also seems you have brought a guest. Care to introduce yourself?"

I looked back to the throne and found a large pony with wings and a horn sitting on one of two thrones. She was pure white, almost like snow, and her mane was just as perfect. It was a blend of what seemed like pink, green and a two shades of blue. One shade seemed like the sky, and the other looked like a teal, but with more of a green tint to it. Her cutie mark was that of the sun.

As my eyes trailed across her figure, my optic enhancement began processing important bits of data. Things like muscle tone, apparent toughness if skin and fur, as well as bone density and placement of vital organs were scanned and recorded for later use.

"My name is DigiXX, with two capital x's. It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Celestia. I've heard a bit about you from Mr. Armor, though it mostly had to do with your less than stellar fashion sense." I responded. I chuckled lightly at the momentary shock on her face as I walked up to the throne. I made sure to peek behind the pillars, though I did it discreetly. It seemed there were no guards and no turrets. But that doesn't mean they aren't there, the pillars could be hollowed out. If one were to hollow out those large pillars, then a decent sized turret or mech guard could hide in there.

"Oh? What is wrong with my fashion sense?" She asked bemused as she pointed around the too with a hoof.

"Nothing really, just that you make everything too flashy." I answered with a smirk. "You must be pretty full of yourself, or you are the best strategist I have ever met.

She tilted her head in confusion as she asked what I meant by that. I just scoffed and pointed at the walls.

"The walls shine brightly, and with the placement of the windows the sun could make the room blindingly so." I began. "The pillars at spaced far enough, and are large enough to be efficient storage for mech guards or automated guns. The chandeliers could be knocked down to slow someone down, or wipe out small enemies. And finally, this carpet could be used to trip up charging enemies, leaving them open for attack. If what I say is true, then you my dear are an amazing strategist, or at least good with traps and small scale planning."

Celestia sat back, a dumbfounded look on her face which matched Shining Armor's almost perfectly. Either that was the right answer, or they didn't realize that and just made this place look like this because they found it to be beautiful or something. I find it beautiful as well, but only because of the amazing potential it has.

"Why would we need something like that?" Celestia asked in confusion and what seemed like a minute amount of horror. "No pony has ever tried to bring me harm, and the other nations wouldn't dare risk an incident from trying to do so."

I just lost all hope for this Princess. I mean look at this place! It's almost a crime to waste all this money and effort just for looks alone.

"Oh, forget I said anything. It seems you're just too used to peace." I yawned loudly and looked up at the Princess with a bored look. "Now let's get down to business shall we? I know something must be up for you to be requesting my presence."

"You are correct." Celestia said, her face completely serious now. "I called upon my guard captain, Shining Armor to find me a pony capable of handling a very important assignment."

"And what would that assignment be," I asked. "Is it espionage? Or perhaps, there is a special someone that needs to, disappear shall we say. I'm certainly good at making enemies disappear."

Celestia turned to Shining Armor with a disturbed look in her eyes as she asked, "Are you sure about this one Captain?"

Shining Armor nodded and proceeded to give me my assignment.

"You will be guarding my sister, and the Princess's student Twilight Sparkle. She is going to be preparing for the Summer Sun Celebration. You will then be given the choice to either stay there with her, or leave and go about yo-"

"I refuse."

Shining armor stopped speaking, his mouth falling open in shock. Celestia had the same look on her face when she heard my response.

"I'm sorry, but did you just say you refuse to accept the job?" Celestia asked, an obvious edge in her tone.

"That I did," I began. "You called upon the fastest, smartest, most creative, deadly and skilled killer to walk this earth. And what do you want me to do? You want me to babysit a child I don't even know, going up against unknown challenges that seem impossibly boring, and all without the likelihood of me being able to kill something or get laid! I don't know you, I don't know this student of yours, and I don't even know where or when I am!"

**\- (Line break: Celestia's POV) -**

He does have a valid point. He knows nothing about what has happened, nothing of the time period he's even in. It's wrong to ask this of him when so much has happened to him...

But that doesn't change the fact that we need him, the whole of Equestria needs him. And deep down, i have a feeling he needs us. A group that knows peace to help him recover from all the horrifying mental scars her may have. I read up on his bio earlier when Shining Armor left to get him, and based off what i have read he will need this.

Maybe if I sweetened the deal, he'd consider accepting the job.

"I understand where you are coming from, DigiXX, and I'm willing to help you should you accept this job."

There, that should reel him in. He'll be curious, and I'll be able to explain in detail what we can offer him. Based off what I've read, he probably won't ask for much in return.

"Oh, and how would you be able to help me, Princess Celestia," DigiXX asked as he turned around. He'd been moving towards the door, prepared to leave, when my statement reached his ears. He seems interested again, so I may be able to do this after all.

"We will be willing to give you access to as much information from my own personal library as you require. We will also up the pay and offer you a spot as a special guard as a form of steady income. You will also be given top tier access to everything this nation has to offer. In return, I ask that you take on this job and move in near Ponyville, which is where Twilight will be sent." His frown slowly started to fade, and at that point I knew I almost had him. Just a few more things and he should accept. Of course this means I will have to give him what I am promising him at the moment. I am a pony of my word after all.

"And from what I've read of your bio that Shining Armor had obtained, you enjoy strong drinks and video games. I will allow you to have access to these things as well. And finally, to finish off this deal I am giving you, I will give you access to upper tier magical artifacts for study should the desire arise. All I ask is that you do NOT abuse these privileges. Promise me this, as well as accepting this and any other missions, and everything I promised you will be delivered."

His jaw had fallen open at the generosity I'd shown him. His eyes wide and unfocused, most likely trying to process the fact that I would be rising him to a station of power that nearly rivaled my own. However deep down I know I can trust him, and I might be able to assume he feels the same way about me. Accepting this deal would essentially bind him to me, meaning no matter what orders I give he'd have to follow them. He'd have to trust that none of my orders, or at least a small amount of them, wouldn't bring harm to him or any civilians.

He finally regain his composure and smiled up at me, and it seemed like a genuine smile.

And then, he gave me his honest answer.

**\- (Line break: DigiXX POV) -**

"You're trying to buy my loyalty aren't you?" My reply seemed to sting her, as she recoiled as if struck by a baseball bat. "You think that by offering all these empty promises you'd be able to try and trick me into following you?"

I turned back to the door, and opened it., sending one last look back at Celestia.

"Honestly, if you think that would work you're mistake princess. Better luck next time with the next one you pull out of cryo, 'cause I ain't buying any of this crap. Have a nice day Princess Celestia."

I left the throne room, sighing in annoyance as I walked out into the halls. They were empty, meaning no one would annoy me or try to delay me. It would be nice to get out and see the area around this castle at least, see what kind of defenses they would be able to put up. I can't believe there are no conflicts whatsoever. That's just not possible. And that shit about giving me all of that, she doesn't seem to realize how much of a security risk it is to give a stranger that kind of power. She's naive, despite her age and experience, and I refuse to follow someone who is that willing to just hand over important resources like that.

I walked through the castle, obviously lost, until i found my way out into a garden. It was huge, easily capable of encompassing eight or nine football fields. It seemed more like a large valley than an actual garden. It was peaceful though, and I welcomed the clarifying aura of the place. My mind was soothed by the chirping of the birds and the crisp smell of pine mixed with multitudes of flowers.

As I delved deeper into the over-sized Zen garden, a term that seemed to fit the peacefulness it exuded, I came across an unusual looking statue. It was a large creature, approximately the size of a juggernaut guard mech. The whole thing was comprised of parts picked from different animal species, so many and in such a confusing layout I nearly lost count. The creature look dumb, and not the intelligence kind of dumb but the "that looks confusing and not appealing at all" sort of dumb that you'd attribute to a badly done painting of a pile of shit. Perhaps I'm being too cruel about it. There is a type of style to it that I may eventually come to appreciate.

The pedestal was fairly large to provide a good support for the large crime against art.

"That's Discord, a being who brought chaos and suffering to the kingdom long, long ago."

I turned around and saw a mare dressed in dirty clothes standing behind me. She walked up to the statue and brushed some dirt off of the plaque. On it, engraved in the metal was a small paragraph,

"Here lies Aldruvhin Corinth AKA "Discord," the embodiment of chaos and disorder. Once he'd brought upon a dark time for Equestria, a time of insanity and suffering for all those he desired to suffer, which was the pony race in general. He was slain by Princess Celestia and her sister Princess Luna **a thousand** years ago using the Elements of Harmony. May his tyranny never be forgotten, and serve as a reminder to us all that our peace may only exist if we stand by our leaders' sides, and strive for peace everlasting."

"Discord was a vile person when he was alive." The mare whispered quietly, almost afraid to mention him. "Few know just how bad it was when he was alive. Many lost their lives, their loved ones, all to a chaotic "God" who wanted revenge on our kind for the actions of only two of us."

I looked up at the statue with wide eyes. If what that plaque said was true, then that means that this very being was, no, IS a god! A literal God of Chaos just like Mehrunes Dagon from the Elder Scrolls Series. To think that Princess Celestia would actually stand up to fight something like that with just her sister at her back and no heavy weapons or special armor.

I chuckled.

It sounded like something I would do.

**\- (Line break: Celestia's POV) -**

"It's alright princess, we can find another pony just as skilled to help us." Shining Armor said soothingly. I knew he was trying to calm me down, I knew he cared. He is such a caring pony yet he was still able to get things done, which was why I chose him as my Guard Captain.

"Thank you for those words, captain, but I'm afraid they're going to do little good..." I Iooked down at Shining Armor sadly. "I'm sad because a pony would live in such a way as him. DigiXX isn't a bad pony that much I can tell just by looking at him. What I am sad about is that he's living his life in paranoia and fear. Paranoia that was born from the horrors of war, and a fear created due to great loss. He fears forming connections, because he doesn't wish to risk losing somepony close to him again."

"What makes you say that?" Shining armor asked me, his confusion plain as day. "He didn't look like he was worried about that. He was interested in your offer at first you know. I think he's just angry that he wasn't getting a job that he would be able to show off his skills with and decided to decline to save his reputation as a cold hearted killer."

"Ah, you may have a point, but what about the added bonuses I made to the offer? I promised him work that, should this prove to be like you said it would and taint his reputation as a cold hearted killer, then at least he'd be able to cover it up with some other jobs I'd think of for him. I could send him to deal with dangerous creatures in the Everfree, or send him on assassination missions to the other kingdoms that may be planning foul things against us. These feats would definitely cover up that smudge on his reputation."

Shining Armor nodded in understanding. I could tell he'd thought about that, but just tossed it under the rug so to speak so that he'd have a reason to dislike DigiXX. I don't really blame him for doing that either. DigiXX was fairly rude earlier. But i know that I will never get another opportunity like this, to make such a difference in a pony's life is something that I love doing. Being able to ease the stress from somepony like DigiXX would be something truly worth pursuing instead of these meaningless decisions I'm forced to make around the castle. I mean, really, choosing what colors would go best with a type of drape is hardly something that would help make a difference in anyone's life.

I was torn from my musings when the throne room's door was slammed open. Shining Armor jumped and spun around, his horn glowing in anticipation of something dangerous.

"Calm your tits Armor Ass, I'm here about the offer made to me earlier."

DigiXX actually had returned! I never would have thought he'd be back. He seemed so set on leaving, I wonder what brought him back here?

"You know what Celestia, I think I'll trust you just this once." DigiXX smiled as he stared up at me, a fire in his once lifeless eyes.

"I accept your deal. I will become Twilight Sparkles guardian."

**\- (Line break: DigiXX POV) -**

Celestia's previously sad and shocked expression turned into a happy one as my words reached her ears. I was outside the room, and heard everything she'd said. If she really was sincere with what she told me earlier, then... I guess I could take a chance and accept this obvious attempt at giving me a friend. I'd lost so many... but maybe now I can finally have one that won't disappear in my lifetime. She'll keep on living, even after I pass away. I won't have to worry about another precious person dying, if I choose to accept this deal.

At least, that's the way I'm trying to look at this.

I know that when I get sent out on missions, there is a very good chance that one or more of my team may die. It was an inevitability in my line of work. But maybe, with her help and the help of others, I can cope with this fact of life...

I turned to Shining Armor, expecting him to jump on into this conversation, to add to this sappy little sentimental moment. He was shaking and looked ready to add something important or at least relevant to the conversation. I knew his type, always on task yet willing to attend to the more delicate needs of those around him.

"My name is **not** Armor Ass!"

And the relevance of that statement eludes me...


End file.
